If We Were Birds
by mintmm
Summary: All human. At the start of her senior year in high school, Max meets all her old friends. She hardly knew where most had been and this should should have been an exciting reunion, right?
1. Prologue

When we were little, our favorite game was "If We Were Birds." There was a tree house in my back yard that we pretended was our nest. We were always baby birds, saying things like, "Cheep! Mama's coming with our food soon!" and "Peep! I can't wait till I'm big enough to fly!" And when we weren't playing, we imagined what it is really like to fly.

The seven of us lived on the same street. Three houses on one side and two on the other. We all had nicknames and we never called each other by our real names. My name is Madison, my nickname Max. My sister Ella was just Els. We lived in the middle house. To our right lived Fang and to our left was Nudge. Directly across the street were the twins, Angel and the Gasman. Iggy lived beside them.

We were best friends from the start. Because of our game, we called ourselves the Flock, and that lasted until Fang, Iggy, and I were ten. Angel and Gazzy were the first to move. Their dad had been offered a job in New Hampshire that he just couldn't say no to.

A couple of months later was Nudge. I remember how much she and Ella cried and I remember the last thing her mother said to her in my presence. "Monique, your grandparents are getting old. I want to live near them until they die. We just aren't close enough that I can see them whenever I want to. Besides, you'll have all sorts of cousins to play with!" Next thing we knew, Nudge was living in Kansas.

Just after my eleventh birthday Iggy moved too. There was never any explanation, he was just gone one day. My mom said she didn't know what happened either. She and Iggy's mom had worked together for years and the woman had just resigned from the animal hospital with a word. Not too long after, Mrs. Griffiths called our house. They were in Washington, D.C. She didn't say why, just that it was for Iggy.

Then it was Fang, Ella, and me left. Fang and I were always closer than anything. Like two peas in a pod, we were. I hadn't cried when the others left, but when he told me on his birthday that he was moving too, I think I did cry. His dad had been in jail since a month or so after he was born. The man didn't want to believe that Fang was his son and actually tried to kill both the baby and mother. He'd escaped from prison and Fang had to move so he wouldn't find them.

In just six months, my entire life had disappeared. Ella and I were the only ones left. We stayed in the same house our whole childhood. The tree house was still there, with all the old toys still in it. Neither of us went up in it, even when bringing new friends home. When they asked, we told them that it wouldn't hold their weight and they accepted it. Life went on.

**Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Maximum Ride or any other recognizable things that may be mentioned in this story.**

**And a note: Ages are slightly different here. Max, Fang, and Iggy are all the same age. As in the books Max is four months older than Fang and six months older than Iggy. Nudge and Ella are the same age too and about a year younger than Max, Fang, and Iggy. For this story I made Angel and Gazzy twins and a year younger than Nudge and Ella. Also, I don't normally like all human stories, but this just sorta hit me like a brick. Oh, well.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Glendale, Arizona**

**Monday, August 15**

**5:00 AM—Max's Car**

First day of the new school year. It really makes a person feel fuzzy inside, you know? I guess there's a good feeling when I think about how this time next year I'll be getting ready for college. Just not right this instant. It was five in the morning and Ella and I were on the way to school.

I had soccer practice at 5:30 and Ella had some band thing that started not too long after that. For whatever reason, the coach wanted us at school early for the first day. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after that we had practice in the afternoon. It was just ridiculous.

Ella had just turned sixteen and gotten her license so she was driving our shared car. We lived pretty close to the school so we were there in less than ten minutes. She pulled into the student parking lot and parked the car in an empty space near the main school building. We'd be assigned a space in a couple of days when I registered the car with the school office.

I grabbed my bags from the back seat and took off the football field. Cactus High doesn't actually have its own soccer field, so we practiced on the football field. I jogged across the parking lot and into the girls' locker room. I merely dropped my backpack and soccer bag in the room and moved on the the field, already in my team shorts and shirt.

Most of the girls hadn't arrived yet. The few that had were sitting in the grass, just talking. The coach wasn't there yet. I dropped onto the grass next to my friend J.J. and we started talking about the new semester. We needed the same three credits to graduate and then we had been able to pick five elective classes. That was something to look forward to.

At 5:30 Coach Saltzman arrived. She immediately ordered us to start our warm-up exercises before we started drills.

**6:50 AM—Cactus High School**

Coach sent us to the showers thirty minutes before school started. In the locker room I picked up my soccer bag and followed the other girls toward the back. There were only six showers so we had to wait in a line. That explains why we had so much time before school, eh? Some girls are okay showering together, but most prefer not to.

At my turn I tried to wash quickly. I tugged on a pair of jean capris, a light blue t-shirt, and a pair of yellow converse. I left the shower area and stopped to wait for J.J. near the sinks while yanking a brush through my hair. She came out just a couple of minutes later. I gave her a moment to fix her hair before grabbing my backpack. We left our other bags in the locker room. We were the only team to use it, which meant it was okay to come back after school to pick our things up.

We walked toward our homeroom to get our schedules and listen to the teacher explain the school rules. It was something they were required to do at the start of every year, even though by twelfth grade we ought to know them. J.J.'s last name is Mitchell and mine Martinez, so we had the same homeroom.

We got to the classroom ten minutes before the final bell rang. It was easy to get desks right by each other this early. J.J. sat in front of me and twisted around in her chair so we could talk. "So, Mads, do you think you got all the classes you wanted for this year?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Probably. My guidance counselor likes me and she wants me to want to come to school." I really didn't like school. I had a history of truancy.

"Oh, right. I hope she likes me enough to pull some strings for me too." J.J. shook her head. "I doubt it. The counselors can't do things like that for everyone. Class schedules would probably be a mess."

I nodded my agreement. Our teacher, Mr. Belles, started calling names and handing out schedules, muttering that he'd get back to those who hadn't arrived yet. "Madison Martinez?" I raised my hand and was given a piece of gray paper. I set it down on my desk to wait for J.J. to get hers. It only took a minute.

"Well, what classes have you got?" I asked her. Without waiting for an answer I rattled off mine. "Gym, pottery, English twelve, and gov/econ."

J.J. shook her head. "Art, creative writing, English twelve, gov/econ. Who do you have for English and gov?"

"Um... English, Mrs. Salazar. Government, Mr. Belles. Looks like I'll be back here for last period." I reached forward and snatched her schedule from her desk. She had the same teachers for the last two. "What's with the creative writing thing?"

She shrugged. "I like to write." She took the paper back. "Well, we have two classes together and lunch too. That's awesome."  
>The 7:20 bell rang and Mr. Belles stood at the front of the room. He called the last few names from the stack of paper and then said, "The rules haven't changed any since last year. Your handbooks are in front of you. You might read them tonight and refresh your memories." He looked almost bored. He had quite a bit of gray hair so he must have been teaching here awhile. It makes me wonder how many times he's recited the rules at students who don't really listen. "One thing I do need to tell you. You can talk to Mr. Linehan during lunch to register your cars so you can park here without getting a ticket. You'll need your license, car title, and five dollars. Also during lunch, you can buy a locker from Ms. Hester for one dollar."<p>

He went to sit at his desk and the sound level in the room picked up. At 7:45 we gathered our stuff and left for first period. I had to walk a pretty good distance to the gym. Thankfully, I only have to do this occasionally. Homeroom is not an everyday thing.

Even so, there didn't seem to be many others in the gym by the time I got there. Maybe they got lost? PE is only required for freshman so I guess they won't know where to go. I guess.

"Martinez, you're back again?" Coach Roger said. His last name was Lefebvre, but who can pronounce that? The other PE teacher has an equally unpronounceable last name so we call him Coach Larry.

I grinned at him. "Of course, Coach." This was my fourth or fifth time back in his class. Most high school students don't like PE, but I like the exercise I get from it, even first thing in the morning.

"Right, well, you can join the others on the bleachers. Unless you want to help me teach this year?" When I shook my head, he said, "I expect you'll be the oldest in here then. Besides me, of course."

Without dropping my grin, I sauntered over to the bleachers. I sat right at the top. Finally all the stragglers came in and were directed to sit down as well. One of the guys seemed older than the rest. To be honest, it was odd. For the past two years I'd been the only non-freshman in here. I suppose all good things come to an end.

Coach Roger started roll call, beginning with "Athens." A small girl in the front raised her hand and Coach continued. A pretty tall guy answered to Lincoln and then Coach said, "I know Martinez is here." He didn't even look up as I waved at him. Some of the freshmen turned to look at me, surprise on their faces.

Last was Wilson. It was the older guy. Coach looked at him for a minute and then asked what I was thinking, "You're not a freshman, are you?"

Wilson shook his head. "Senior," he answered simply.

Coach rolled his eyes. "Right. You and Martinez are paired together then." He scribbled on his clipboard while I stared at him wide-eyed. What was this "paired" stuff?

"I've got a new thing going this year, Martinez. Everyone gets a partner. You run with him, you're always on the same team, and you do warm up exercises together. How your partner does in the class doesn't affect your grade, but if he isn't doing what he's supposed to, you're charged with getting him to. Right. Other partners." He started pairing people off. If you hadn't noticed, Coach's favorite word is "right." He says it a lot.

A lot of the other students were looking at each other, dismayed. It seemed that most weren't put with their friends. A couple raised their hands and tried to convince him to give them new partners. It was a futile quest. They'd learn soon enough that Coach does what he wants to and doesn't really take into account what his students want.

Coach Roger jumped into a speech about the things the state required him to teach throughout the semester. This includes a big physical test at the end, all sorts of health lectures, blah, blah, blah. I'm just glad the health part didn't mean sex ed. Sitting through that five times wouldn't have been fun at all.

He ended his speech and dismissed us to talk until it was time to leave for second period. I looked around the gym for a moment before dragging my book bag over to Wilson. "So I guess we're partners," I said. "You better do all the exercises and play all the games. I don't need to tell you to everyday."  
>"Hakuna Matata. I'm in here because I want to be. That means I'll do whatever he says." I stared for a minute. Hakuna Matata? "It means 'no worries'," he said, misreading my expression.<p>

"I know what it means, Wilson. I just haven't heard anyone use it in conversation in years." My friends and I used to say it all the time when we were little. But hearing a seventeen year old guy, who might be emo or goth, judging by the color of his clothes, say it was strange.

He leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "My first name is Nick. And I said it all the time with my friends when I was younger."

"Oh. Have you always gone to Cactus High? I don't think I've ever seen you here before." I mimicked him. The bleachers were extremely uncomfortable. "Not that that means anything. There are probably plenty of seniors here that I don't know."

Nick shook his head again. "I went to elementary here, but I moved to Tennessee a few years ago. My mom and I came back over the summer."

I straightened in surprise. "You went to Discovery Elementary? I don't think I remember a Nick."

He shrugged. "I don't remember a whatever your name is."

"Madison Martinez. I've lived on West Del Mar Lane my entire life." Like telling him the street I lived on would spark his memory. Yeah, right.

He straightened too. Maybe it did spark something. "_Max_?" Nick asked in obvious disbelief. His dark eyes blinked at me and he sat there gaping like a fish. It was the most expression he'd shown the entire time we were talking. I'd started to think he was a robot.

"No one's called me Max since I was eleven. Even Ella stopped," I said slowly. I looked at him again. Just looked. He had the black hair and dark brown eyes. The all black clothes were new, but it was definitely... "Fang?"

**Note: I do not own Cactus High School, Discovery Elementary, or any teachers and faculty/staff. They are all real people that work at a real school in Glendale, AZ. I don't live there, so classes and things are a little more like the high school I went to.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Glendale, Arizona**

**Monday, August 15**

**8:36 AM—Cactus High School Gym**

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "And you're using your old name. I remember it now. But, I thought—the thing with your dad..."

"They caught him. It took forever, but they got him. When Mom found out I asked her to move us back here." We just sort of stared at each other for a minute. "You don't go by Max anymore then?"

I shook my head. "Nah. No one ever called me that anyway. Except you and the others, of course. Remember, my mom refused to call me Max. What about you and this Nick stuff?"

"I can't have people calling me Fang. What would they think of me?" he asked. "Everyone would be afraid I'd bite them or something."

I laughed. "You _would _bite them, though. It's kinda why we called you Fang." Fang laughed too. It was deeper than before and pretty nice to hear.

"Oh, yeah." We sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, he said, "What classes do you have?"

"That's a normal question," I said. "Kidding. Hang on." I dug in my pocket for schedule and he held his in his hand. He took mine from me immediately and compared them.

"Hey. We have three together." He handed it back to me. "The only difference is that I have wood shop instead of pottery."

I refolded it and stuck it back in my pocket. "Great. I have wood shop next semester. Tell me how it is, right?"

He nodded just as the bell rang. We stood and headed for the door. Our two classes were in the same building so we could walk most of the way together. It was funny how we could go six years without talking to each other at all and when we do meet again, it goes back to the way it had been. Like he'd never left. I could almost think that if we weren't so obviously older.

**10:34 AM—Mrs. Salazar's English Class**

I didn't see Fang in the hallway after pottery so I walked into English alone. J.J. was already there. I dropped into the empty seat behind her with a short, "Hey."

"Hi, Mads. How were your first classes?" That _would _be the first things she says to me.

I smiled. "Gym was really great. Pottery, kind of boring. Tomorrow we're going to start with clay, so hopefully it'll get better."

"That's awesome. My classes were both great. Mrs. Salazar is an amazing teacher. She teaches creative writing," she added, seeing my face. "It's also great that I don't have to walk anywhere to get here. Oh, hot guy."

Looked behind me at the door. Fang was there, scanning the faces in the room. He must have spotted me because he came to sit down behind me. "I had no idea how to get here," he muttered. "You could have waited for me."

"You know him?" J.J. whispered. "How?"

I shot her a glare. "I looked for you," I told Fang. "When I didn't see you, I came on. I figured you'd be here already."

"Well, I wasn't." I opened my mouth to reply when Mrs. Salazar stood at the front of the room. She was nearly as tall as me, and I'm about 5'9". Her gray hair was up in a tight bun and she seemed to stare right through us over the top of her glasses.

"Good morning, class. We'll start with the roll. Please say 'here' when I call your last name." She proceeded, just like every other teacher in the school. "All right. We'll have lunch at 11:00, which gives you just over twenty minutes to write in your journals. There will be a new topic every day and they are listed in the front of these." Mrs. Salazar held up a green folder. She held a stack of multicolored folders in her arm, which she began to pass down the rows of desks. "You will keep your journals in these and can get paper from there when you need more." She pointed at a table against the right wall.

J.J. passed a small stack of folders to me. I pulled out a light blue one and handed the stack back to Fang. "Today before lunch you will write the journal 'Who am I'," Mrs. Salazar continued. "After lunch I will pass out books and we will begin Unit I."

Well, she gets right to the point, doesn't she? I thought J.J. said she was amazing. I flipped to the first blank page in the folder and pulled a pen from my backpack. Behind me I heard Fang muttering under his breath. From the few words I caught, he wasn't saying real nice things about our teacher.

About twenty minutes later, it was lunch time. I walked with J.J. and Fang to the cafeteria. J.J. and I went straight for our usual table at the back. We both packed our lunch because, frankly, school lunches are gross. Fang didn't seem to have gotten that memo and went to buy his.

"So a hot guy, who is obviously new to the school, walks into our class and you _know_ him?" J.J. asked as soon as he was gone. "Who is he?"

I dragged my sandwich from its bag. "He and I were friends years ago before he moved away. He just moved back over the summer. I didn't know until this morning. We have PE together." I shrugged and began eating, a hint that I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I was saved by our other friends, Lissa, Brigid, and Sam, sitting down.

"There's a new guy in our grade this year," Sam said from beside me.

"We know," J.J. said. "Madison knows him. She seems to disagree, but I think he's pretty good looking."

Sam frowned. "She _should _disagree with you." I guess I ought to mention that Sam and I have been on a few dates. He wasn't my boyfriend, exactly, but I think he wanted to be. "Besides, the guy is blind. I don't even know how he got into school here. It's not like he can do the work."

"Blind? No he isn't," I said. "He sees fine."

Brigid pointed to a table where someone was sitting alone. "He brought his dog to school. Said he was a seeing eye dog, but I always thought they were bigger than that." They were clearly talking about someone besides Fang. The guy did have a dog with him, which shouldn't have been allowed at school.

Fang was back. He sat down outside our little group, looking a little annoyed. Possibly because the seats on either side of me were taken. Not that that should bother him. Brigid and Lissa both glanced at him in surprise and then looked again. They seemed to be in the same frame of mind as J.J.

"Isn't that Iggy?" Fang asked, pointing at the new guy the others had already mentioned. I looked over again, but his back was to us.

Sam snorted. "What kind of name is that? His is James, not Iggy."

"Oh. I thought it was someone I knew." Still, Fang kept peering over Brigid's shoulder at James.

"Don't be a jerk, Sam," I said, kicking him. He jumped and scowled at me. I thought that his eyes watered a bit. "You're acting like there's something completely wrong with not being able to see." With that, I stood and walked across the cafeteria. James didn't look up as I sat down across from him. He wouldn't, I suppose, what with being unable to see and all. "You're James, right?"

He was pushing his food around his plate. "Yeah. I guess you've come to mock me too? Go ahead, I can handle it."

"No. I just wanted to talk to you. I don't think it's fair the way the others are treating you."

"Well, aren't you a saint," James muttered bitterly. "I don't need your pity."

I scowled. "Then I won't give you any. If you want to sit here alone, fine." I started to stand again when I noticed Fang was there too.

"Sit down, Max. We're keeping this guy company whether he wants it or not. I already like him better than the other guy." He pointed back to Sam.

James head shot up. I could see his face now. His eyes were almost colorless and his skin really pale. If not for his strawberry blond hair, I'd have thought all the color had been drained out of him.

"Max? Max Martinez?" James asked.

I shook my head. There was no way this was Iggy. For one, the Iggy I knew could see. Two, it seemed extremely unlikely that both Fang and Iggy would show up at Cactus High on the same day. Things like that just didn't happen.

Fang said it first. "Iggy? Dude, what happened to you? You were never blind."

"Fang too, huh? My blindness is a bit of a long story. There probably isn't time to tell it right now." He sighed. "I wondered if you guys were still here."

I sat back down and Fang took a seat beside me. "This is just a day full of weirdness. And, hey, it isn't even noon yet. Next thing we know we'll be sitting in a tree house peeping at each other."

Iggy laughed. It was even better hearing him laugh, especially after his attitude before. "You still have that thing?" he asked. "I figured your mom would get rid of it."

I shook my head, then remembered that he couldn't see. "Nah. See, she got remarried when I was twelve. She thought that her husband's son might like to play in it. He hasn't yet, though."

"Oh. Do you like them? Your step-dad and brother?" Fang wondered.

"Ari is a really sweet kid. He started second grade today. And Jeb is a science teacher at the middle school. He isn't a bad guy." I dug in my pocket for my cell phone and checked the time. Lunch was almost over. I told them so and then said, "Hey, you guys want to come over later? I want to hear about Tennessee and Washington DC."

Fang nodded. "Sure. I remember where you live, and I can give Iggy a ride, if he wants."

"Okay. Total and I were supposed to walk home today. My parents won't be home until late, anyway," Iggy said. The bell rang just then and we all stood up. I heard Fang ask Iggy where they could meet after school and he answered that Total could find the flagpole easily. I suppose Total must be his dog, and really smart, too.

Fang caught up to me in the hallway. "You drive, then?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I've got a '90 Toyota T100."

I just blinked at him. "A what?"

He snorted. "It's a truck that's older than I am, by about four years. I had it painted recently, so it's a nice shiny silver. No dents or anything."

"Oh." We reached our classroom. J.J. was already in her seat. There were huge textbooks on all the desks, and I mean huge. They all had more than fourteen hundred pages. I looked.

J.J. smiled brightly at us. "You spent a lot of time talking to James. Was he interesting?"

"Yes. He's blind, but he's still just like the rest of us." I frowned at her. "Everyone needs to talk to him instead of avoiding him like the plague. It's not contagious."

"Sorry, Maddie," she muttered. Mrs. Salazar began giving instructions and the class grew quiet. By the end of class, I realized that J.J. was right; she was pretty cool. She wasn't really strict and we got to keep our chosen seats, which was great. No one likes seating charts.

Even so, I was looking forward to the end of the day.

**Note: So, the whole Flock is back, even if Max hasn't seen them all. Coincidence? Maybe. The School/Itex will play a part in this, though I'm still working out the details on that one.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Glendale, AZ**

**Monday, August 15**

**2:30 PM—Outside Girls' Locker Room, Cactus High**

I just collected my bag from inside. Ella was going to pick me up in the car here. You know, if she ever makes it this far. There were _a lot_ of cars in the parking lot.

Okay, so it occurred to me that I ought to explain where we all got our nicknames from. The only one that makes sense as far as what our real names are is Ella's. Angel's real first name is Ariel, but with her blond curls and her general personality added to the fact that on our first Halloween together she dressed as an angel just led to us calling her that. I'll give you a minute to try and figure that sentence out.

Matthew, well, just try to stay upwind of him. He doesn't even have to eat beans or broccoli or whatever. It was a pretty powerful smell that came from his pants. Hence, the Gasman. Monique's was a bit harder. We finally realized that to get to stop talking, we had to nudge her fairly hard. It was Ms. Wilson, Fang's mom, that pointed it out. Somehow the name Nudge just stuck.

When Iggy was six, he set his front yard on fire. Later, when his mom was telling one of her friends about it, we heard the words "James," "ignite," and "front grass." I remember Angel trying to say ignite and only getting "ig" out, so Fang added the "gy" and we just called him Iggy.

I've already mentioned that Fang used to bite people. It was when he and his mom got back from the beach with a shark tooth necklace that we started using the name Fang.

Right now, a lot of my friends call me Mads. They called me that years before too, until the Gasman mispronounced it and said Max instead. Oops. A couple years later we were watching TV, some alien documentary thing, and the narrator said something about "maximum." Iggy mentioned that it almost rhymed with Madison, even though it didn't really, and then said that Max must be short for that. Right. No matter what, that's how I ended up with my name.

Anyway, Ella finally pulled up in our car, a blue 1995 Neon. Some people don't like it, but I think it's cute enough and it runs really well. Our brother Ari got out of school at three o'clock and we were charged with picking him up. Jeb didn't really want him to ride the bus home, which was fine by me. I didn't like the bus when I had to ride it.

When I got in the car, the music was loud. I turned it down some and Ella grinned at me. "Sorry. I forgot that you don't like it at that volume."

I shook my head and we sat in silence all the way to Discovery Elementary. We got there about fifteen minutes early. I reluctantly pulled my English book from my backpack and began the short assignment we'd been given. This was a good time to do it.

Five minutes after school ended, Ari was out. He climbed into the backseat and put his seat belt on. To be honest, he was shorter than 4'9", but he rarely sat in his booster seat. When we were moving again, I put my book away and asked Ari,

"How was your first day of school?"

"It was lots of fun. I met my teacher and my friend Jake is in my class. We had extra long recess 'cause it's the first day and the teacher didn't teach any. It was all just 'What's your name and what's your favorite thing to do?' But we have to start learning tomorrow." He was grinning broadly. I tried to remember if I liked school so much when I was seven. I couldn't.

**3:14—Max's House**

There was already a silver truck in the driveway and a small green car that I recognized as belonging to Ella's friend Amy. Ella pulled up beside the truck and the three of us clambered out. Fang, Iggy, and the dog got out of the truck. I waved for them to follow me into the house.

We went up to my room, where Fang looked around with interest. "It isn't really different than it was. The posters are new, and your blanket." He was right. My walls were the same sky blue as before. The comforter on my was indeed new. It was white with multicolored spots on it; the sheets were navy blue.

Fang and I sat on the bed and Iggy found my desk chair without trouble at all. Huh. "So, Ig, are you—" I was interrupted by some thumping on the stairs and the sound of a few girls talking loudly. Scowling, I stood and went to the open door. In the hallway were Ella, Amy, and a pretty black girl I didn't know. "Ella, could you guys keep it down?"

She smiled sheepishly at me, but didn't say anything. Her new friend shrieked, though, and threw her arms around my neck. "Max! I can't believe it's you!" Wait, was I missing something? Like, getting an introduction?

"It's Nudge," Ella mouthed from over the girl's shoulder. I yanked myself from her embrace and looked at her. Ella was right. Today was the craziest day I'd ever had. If I'd been really paranoid or something I'd think it was a bad sign that Nudge, Iggy, and Fang were all in my house again. After six whole years. But I'm not.

I swallowed. "Nudge. Jeez. Then you two are never going to guess who is in my room right now." The both raised their eyebrows. Thanks to e-mail, Nudge knew about Fang and Iggy moving. It had taken a year before all the e-mailing had stopped, actually.

They looked over my shoulder. "No, way," Ella breathed. She pushed past me.

"Hey, Ella," Fang said. "Long time, no see, huh?" She and Nudge gaped, which was a pretty good response, considering.

"I guess we're all going to sit in here." I sat back on my bed. I saw Amy hesitate in the doorway. I didn't usually let her or Ella in my room. As sister's we were close, but I didn't really want all her friends crowding my space. She finally said that she would see Ella tomorrow and left. I almost felt sorry that she was leaving.

Nudge was sitting on the floor and full of questions. "Iggy, when did you get a dog? When did you and Fang get back here? Isn't it weird that we're all here again? Oh, what if Angel and Gazzy are back too? Wouldn't that be great?"

"Nudge, I'd say it's unlikely that Angel and the Gasman are in Glendale too, but after today I suppose anything is possible." I'd let Iggy explain about the dog, especially since I was curious too.

He seemed to sense that. "Total is my guide dog," he said and then paused, frowning. "I guess you still want to know _how _I became blind? Well, you remember that I used to wear glasses?" We said yes to both. "Right before I left Dad was fired from his job. Mom's job paid okay, but it wasn't enough, apparently. Dad couldn't find a new job. He found out that some scientists would pay for someone to test their newest procedure.

"Dad volunteered me. Before I knew it, we had packed a bag of clothes and other things we wouldn't leave behind. I remember him saying that he'd buy us all new furniture when we got there. _There_ was Washington DC. Our plane landed and he took me to some science lab there. They said that they were going to fix my eyes so I would be able to see without glasses. I didn't have the option to say no.

"When I woke up after the operation, I couldn't see anymore. It hadn't worked. Dad still got his money, though. It was a lot. I don't know how much exactly. A few days later, the scientists gave me Total, here. Said he was better than most guide dogs, if not completely conventional."

The five of us sat in stunned silence for a moment. I couldn't believe his parents would do that to him. Maybe they really thought it would be better for him at first, but it went wrong. Nudge was the first to recover. "So why did you move back?" she asked.

"At first the scientists were telling us we had to stay there. I think they were looking for a way to fix what they'd done. They must not have found one because in May they told us to come back here. Get a new house and pick up everything like we'd never moved at all." Iggy scratched Total behind the ears absentmindedly. "I learned to read Braille and I can still write. It's like I know where the paper ends by feeling it. I have special paper with raised lines so the words go straight across. It's how I can go to school with you seeing people."

I bit my lip, thinking back to what Iggy had said about Total. "How is the dog unconventional? I mean, any dog can be a service animal if it's trained, right?"

"I can talk." I jumped in surprise. I thought the dog had said it, but that's impossible. One of the others must have been practicing ventriloquism or something. "And I don't appreciate being called 'the dog.'" This time I saw his mouth move. "I was born in that science lab. The scientists created me. They did something so that I'm like this. I can also read, which makes it easier to find things we're looking for. Places."

No way. And I'd thought that my friends reappearing was incredible. Now I thought that I must be going crazy. Dogs do not talk. Nudge, Ella, and Fang seemed to be thinking the same thing. They were looking more shocked than any of us have all day. This just gets better and better.

"I know what you all must be thinking," Iggy said, "but it's true. I thought I was crazy at first too. None of us are, though."

"Okay," Fang said calmly. "I'll believe you, but only because you're one of my best friends. If it came from almost anyone else, I'd be running for the hills already."

Nudge, Ella, and I all nodded. "Yeah, Iggy. Even though I haven't seen you in a long time, you're still my friend," said Ella.

"Exactly. It's really cool that you have a talking dog. Seriously, ho else has one of those? It's unique and stuff," Nudge told him. "It's great to meet you, Total. A little weird, since I've never seen a talking dog, but cool anyway."

Total smiled in a way that only a dog can. "Nice to meet you too. Just don't call me 'the dog' anymore." He shook his head then muttered, "The dog."

"That might take some getting used to," I admitted.

Ella asked Fang where he'd been for so long. He told a lengthened version of what he'd said earlier, including why he left and what had brought about his return. I'm not sure Ella had heard the story of the former.

There wasn't much for Ella and I to say about the time they'd all been gone. The only really interesting thing that had happened was Mom getting married and I'd already told Fang and Iggy about that. Ella had told Nudge.

Nudge spun her story next. "I know you remember why I moved. My mom was right. I had tons of cousins in Kansas. It wasn't the same as being here with you guys, but it was okay. She was also right about my grandparents. They were old. Within two years Grandpa died. Then, maybe ten months ago, Grandma went too. Mom took the time to grieve and then she said she couldn't stay there anymore, so here we are."

Jeez. We're just chock full of depressing tales, huh? The doorbell rang downstairs and I heard Ari say he'd get it, followed by Jeb saying that _he _would get it. The poor guy must be worried that the bell-ringer was going to kidnap his son or something.

He said something about upstairs and there were thundering feet on the stairs followed by two sets of quieter ones. A few seconds later Ari stood in the doorway. "Maddie! Someone is here to see you. I don't know who they are." Two blond teenagers stood behind him, smiling almost identically. They were clearly twins.

Oh, no. No way. "Hey, everyone is here," the boy said. "I thought you all moved forever ago."

"Yeah, but we're back. And you are too. This is such a great day," Nudge said. "Like, it's so amazing that we're all here."

Holy crap. My mind is blown. It took a moment for my brain to register the fact that we were all in a big group hug. It was pile on Max time. I think I even felt Total lick my cheek. Blech.

A minute later everyone was scattered around my room. The first the thing the Gasman asked was, "Are you blind, Iggy?"

He nodded and started to retell the story. I stood quickly, saying that I didn't want to hear the story again and that I was going to make some popcorn.

Fang followed me downstairs and I think Nudge and Ella left too. In the kitchen, I stuck a bag in the microwave then leaned against the counter. Fang was looking in the refrigerator. "What are you doing?" I wondered.

He blinked and looked at me. "Uh, looking for something to drink."

"There's two kinds of soda there." I pointed to the cabinet beside the sink. "Or you can have water, milk, or purple kool aid." I couldn't help but laugh at his expression. It was like he was a little kid and I'd caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Soda's good," he muttered, getting a can of orange from the cabinet. The microwave beeped then, signaling that the popcorn was done. I put another bag in.

"Go ask the others what they want to drink, Fang. Give them all the options I gave you." Fang sighed and left the room. The second bag was almost done when he came back.

"Soda for everyone." He opened the cabinet again and got out two more cans of orange soda and two Mr. Pibb. "Which do you want?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Pibb is fine." He pulled another out and stood waiting while I filled a large bowl with buttered popcorn. When we got back upstairs, Nudge was telling Angel and the Gasman about Kansas. Fang passed the cans out and Ella sent a bottle of Germ-X around before she would let anyone stick their hands in the popcorn bowl.

**5:45 PM—Still Max's House**

Everyone had left. Ella had to drive Nudge home and Iggy got a ride with Fang again. Angel and the Gasman rode their bikes. They didn't live too far away, they said.

Mom was making dinner, with Jeb's help. I wasn't really a cook. It always seemed to taste bad when I tried. Ella had just gotten back. She and I were sitting at the kitchen table, doing homework. "You know, they didn't used to give homework on the first day of school," Jeb said. "They waited a day or so and actually taught first."

"My English teacher _did_ teach us today. Mostly stuff about the textbook, but we did learn."

Ella shook her head. "I didn't learn anything. My American history teacher wants us to write down things about ourselves, like our theme songs and most embarrassing moments. It's kind of dumb."

Mom came and looked over her shoulder, laughing. "You're right. Well, put that stuff away and go wash your hands. Supper's almost ready."

I closed my book and carried it upstairs to my room. As I walked through the living room, I passed the message on to Ari. We crowded in the bathroom to scrub our hands. I could smell the food from the kitchen. Mom makes the best Mexican food ever. Some people like Taco Bell, but that stuff doesn't compare.

When asked, we had to recant our whole day. From soccer practice all the way up to eating popcorn in my room. I heard all about Ari's again and then Ella's too. Mom was surprised when we told her that the Flock was back. Neither of us mentioned the talking dog.

**Note: Eh, I'm feeling kind of iffy about the beginning, with the explanation of nicknames. I also don't know how to feel about the ending. I've been trying to find a good stopping place for ages...**


	5. Chapter 4

**Washington, DC**

**Tuesday, August 16**

**12:01 AM**

It had been so _easy_ to separate those children. Dr. Patterson had used a simple form of persuasion to convince Tom Griffiths to bring his family to DC. Bribery. There had been a bit of a setback when the surgery on the boy's eyes backfired, but who could have seen that coming?

Before, the plan had been: pay the Griffiths to get them here, make the boy's eyes better than ever, and hold that over his parents heads to make them stay in DC. When the surgery failed, it had to be modified a bit.

"Sir?" Dr. Patterson turned from the monitor. "He's made contact. The Griffiths boy has rejoined the other children and, despite his defects, they have accepted him with open arms."

Dr. Patterson nodded, smiling. "Good. And this information comes?"  
>"Straight from the horse's mouth."<p>

"Good," Dr. Patterson said again. He turned his heavily lidded eyes back to the computer monitor. On it was a grainy image of seven very young children playing in a tree house. So innocent, so _unknowing_. Dr. Patterson's smile widened.

Everything was going according to plan.

**Claremont, New Hampshire**

**Tuesday, August 16**

**12:14 AM**

_Humans are so easy to manipulate_, thought Amelia Dwyer. If you offer a man a better paying job than he had, he would be _very_ willing to move his family across the country. Once he was there, you make sure he likes his job.

Amelia had done it. Glen Peterson and his wife and kids had lived there for six years. It had been a simple job to sneak into their new home, especially since she had the extra key. The family didn't have a dog; Rhonda Peterson was allergic to most forms of animal dander. She didn't realize that she had two part-birds living in her home.

Yes, Amelia had been secretly giving the children injections with various purposes. They'd been receiving them their entire lives, from the minute they were born, every six months. When they were eight, it was time to step it up some. It would have been difficult to get all seven children the correct injection every night without mixing them up. Their Glendale agent was known for botching these types of things.

When they turned fifteen, it was time to reunite the "Flock." Amelia told Mr. Peterson he was being promoted again and they were sent back to Arizona without even wondering why.

_So easy._

**Andover, Kansas**

**Monday, August 15**

**10:22 PM**

Marian Jansen had watched the old woman die. The man too, though that was completely different.

It hadn't taken anything to move the Carmichaels to Kansas. One of their agents had a quick phone conversation with Jocelyn Carmichael and let slip about her own parents dying recently and the family was gone.

Marian had seen Jocelyn's reaction to her father's death. That one had been unplanned. The man had seemed fine before going quietly in his sleep. Still, Marian had counted the months it had taken for Jocelyn to seem more like she was before the death. About nine.

So ten months before it was scheduled for the Carmichaels to move back to Glendale, Marian let her hand _slip _over the woman's nightly glass of warm milk. By morning she was sick; it took four days for her to die.

As the old woman's doctor, Marian had been in the room and watched the light fade from her eyes. She'd had to comfort the crying Jocelyn, though she felt little regret for killing her mother. There was no need for an autopsy. As far as anyone else was concerned, it had been a little bug that the woman's immune system couldn't handle.

Not long after, the Carmichaels were looking for a house in Glendale. Jocelyn couldn't stand to be in Andover any longer than she had to be. The family was back right on schedule.

**Gray, Tennessee**

**Tuesday, August 16**

**12:10 AM**

"I did not really think it would work. I honestly thought that Nicholas Blackman would forget about hunting for his child and the mother if we released him. I know that Dr. Dwyer and Dr. Patterson believed it would work, and I know it did, but I did not think it would."

"I think even if Blackman wasn't going to look for them, the police would have found a reason to send them away. You know how people are about safety."

"Yes. Well, either way, it worked to our advantage. After helping Blackman escape, the Wilson's came here. We got to keep an eye on them and we kept Blackman under our finger too."

"Until we didn't have him. Did you see his face when they caught him?"

"Of course, boy. He did not look happy at all. Unfortunately, we had to send him back to prison. The Wilson's would have stayed here forever if we had not."

"I still don't get why they didn't. Lila Wilson seemed to like it here."

"Her boy convinced her that he would be happier in Glendale. It is very convenient that he has been in love with the older Martinez girl for who knows how long. Too bad she does not feel the same way."

Dr. Hill and his young assistant looked at the picture in front of them. It showed Madison Martinez kissing her friend Sam on her front porch.

"Oh, yeah. Too bad."

**Ugh. I had this bit written within a couple days of uploading the last chapter, but I'd been planning to add more from Max's point of view. Unfortunately, even though I know what I want to happen in the story, I need to work out how to get it there. I have a pathetically small amount written and it just isn't working for me. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up before next Friday.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Glendale, AZ**

**Thursday, August 18**

**7:45 AM—Cactus High Gym**

"Tell me more about Tennessee."

Fang and I were running around the gym, doing laps. Most of the kids were wearing their jeans and fashionable shoes and whatnot. Coach Roger had forgotten to add that they needed to bring fifteen dollars so they could buy PE uniforms. When he'd asked who had brought their money, they all looked at each other in confusion. My uniform from last year still fit, so I was well prepared.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Just, how different is it there? I mean, it's not as hot, right?"

"No," Fang agreed. "It snows there a few times a year. It doesn't get _deep, _but it does snow. And in the winter the grass is all brown like it is here, but in the summer it mostly turns green. The school was okay."

"Oh." We finished our twentieth lap, which was just over a mile, and went to sit on the bleachers until everyone else finished. Coach Roger shook his head in an approving sort of way.

"So how many girlfriends did you have?"

Fang gave me a strange look, like _Do you ask everyone this?_ Finally, he said, "None."  
>"Boyfriends, then? It's okay if you did." At least, I thought so.<p>

Now he definitely thought I was crazy. "No."

"Oh, come on. Why not?" I asked. "You've only been here since yesterday and the girls all seem to think you're 'hot.' The ones I've heard talking about you, anyway. Surely the girls there thought the same thing."

"I guess. I never really paid attention to them." He paused and thought for a moment. "There _was_ one that kept asking me out and she kissed me a couple times. I told her I wasn't interested."

I snorted. "Right. I suppose you said it ni—"

"Martinez, Wilson, over here," Coach shouted across the gym where the rest of the class was gathered. Fang and I went over. "Today we're playing dodge ball. Split into two even teams. Stick with your partner." Half the class went to one side of the gym and half went to the other. Coach lined fifteen balls along the center line and started explaining the rules. You know, when you get hit, you're out. If you get hit in the head you aren't. If you catch the ball, the person who threw it is out. Don't aim for "sensitive" areas. Some of the boys laughed at that one.

Coach raised his whistle and blew. "Go!"

**3:46 PM—Iggy's house**

"Sam was a real jerk to you the other day at lunch. I hope you didn't take it personally or anything. He does it to almost everyone."

Iggy and I were in his living room, eating cookies and milk. I think Total was outside somewhere.

He shrugged, dunking his cookie a few times. "It wasn't a big deal. People have been doing that to me since I got here. I just have to show them that I'm not as helpless as they think."

During lunch at school Sam had demanded to know how Iggy managed to be at school with "normal people." And, yeah, Iggy showed him. He'd gotten out a piece of paper and wrote a couple of short sentences straight across. It already lines of words written on it, so he must have done it several times that morning.

"He'll get used to you," I said.

**Friday, August 19**

**2:23 AM—Where am I?**

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Left. Left. Right.

I couldn't tell you where I was, or even why I was running. All I knew was that I had to.

Right. Left. Dead end.

I was in a maze. The walls were all white and very clean. They were so shiny. I remember that clearly. There was a terrible smell of bleach. Someone worked very hard to keep these walls clean.

Where was the end? Left. Right. Right. Left again. Another dead end. Would I ever get out?  
>My pace was slowing. I couldn't run anymore.<p>

_ZAP! _An electric shock raced up my legs. I had to keep running. I couldn't. _ZING! _What was that? Blood, on my hand. My blood. Pain. _ZING! _I understand. If I stop, there is pain. I must keep going.

Left. Right. Was there even an end? Right. Keep going straight.

I don't know how long I ran, but finally I just couldn't take another step. There was more blood, more pain. Then more. I didn't care anymore. I finally collapsed onto the floor. The pain didn't go away. The walls began looking fuzzy. I closed my eyes.

**3:36 AM —Max's Bedroom**

My eyes shot open. I was sweating like crazy and my breath was was coming in ragged gulps. I put my hand over my heart. It was pounding at a hundred miles an hour.

_It was just a nightmare_, I told myself. I managed to calm my breathing and lay back down. _Go to sleep. _

**5:15 PM**

I had English homework again. I was lying on my bed, working on it when my phone rang. The caller ID said it was Sam.

"Hello?" It was the standard thing to say when you answered the phone, even if you knew who was calling.

"Maddie. It's Sam." Duh. "I just wanted to make sure you remembered our date tonight. It's okay if you're busy, but you did already say that you'd see a movie with me tonight."

I rolled my eyes. "I remember and I didn't make any other plans for tonight."

"Oh, good. I mean, you've been spending a lot of time with that Nick guy and Blind James. I thought you might have wanted to go out with one of them." Was he jealous? He clearly thought that he needed to worry about Fang and Iggy. I wasn't sure if he needed to or not.

"I'm not. And _do not _call him Blind James. He'll beat you up if he hears you saying that."

His answer to that: "He can try." Sam can be a bit full of himself, but I can tell you right now that he's never been in a fight in his life and he probably wouldn't win his first. "I'll come pick you up in about an hour." He hung up without saying good-bye.

An hour later, Sam was here, as promised. I hadn't changed clothes for the date, though Ella had encouraged me to. Date or not, I just didn't see the point. We went to the movies and were half an hour early for the one we had tickets for. It was some kind of horror movie. We'd seen chick flicks, action-y movies, fantasy stuff, but never horror. Maybe he thought I'd be scared.

Turned out, it wasn't all that scary. It had the typical "don't open that door" and "run away, stupid!" moments.

"Quit pinching me," I hissed at Sam. It was about halfway through the movie and every time one of the girls in a seat behind us screamed, he pinched me. If the movie wasn't bothering him, that girl was.

"Sorry," he muttered, but at the next scream he did it again. I elbowed him in the stomach, hard, and he stopped.

Later, when he pulled up outside my house, he didn't walk me to the door or kiss me like usual. It was actually kind of refreshing, but I still felt a sort of pang when he didn't.

"How was it?" Ella asked. She was in the living room with Nudge, watching who-knows-what. "You're back earlier than usual."

I shrugged. "The movie was pretty dumb and we didn't stop for ice cream or anything tonight." I continued on to my room.

I didn't realize it then, but there was something strange about Sam's behavior that night. I also didn't know that it was the start of something I never saw coming.

**I'm not very proud of this chapter. It was mostly filler, but something about the movie section is important. And I _did _like the dream bit. **


	7. Chapter 6

**Glendale, Arizona**

**Saturday, August 20**

**4:30 PM**

"Why isn't anything happening? I gave her the last dose last night."

"It isn't immediate. It will take a few days before the children realize anything has happened."

"And then it'll happen? Then we'll be ready?"

"Yes. Just be patient."

**11:53 PM-Forest?**

I'm running again. I don't know when I'm going, just that they can't catch me. There are a lot of trees. I don't know what kind.

There are dogs behind me, barking. Chasing. The trees flash by me. I've always been able to run fast, thank everything.

There's a clearing ahead. Somehow I know that if I can just make it that far I'll be safe. The creatures-because they definitely aren't human-won't be able to get me.

I burst through the last grouping of trees and skid to a stop, panting. I'm caught. In front of me is a cliff, at least three hundred feet to the ground below. There's nowhere else to run. The barking is closer. I make a split second decision

And leap off the edge. I plummet a few feet and snap out the wings I just realized I have. Everything seems to move in slow motion as I turn to face my attackers. There are three of them and two dogs. The creatures all carrying guns. They them at me. I try to fly away. I hear the gunshots.

There is no pain, but when I look down at my t-shirt the blood is already spreading.

My wings fold. I fall again.

**Sunday, August 21**

**12:12 AM-Max's Bedroom**

Once again I was breathing heavily. It wasn't the time I'd had that dream. Actually I've had always had dreams about flying. My friends are sometimes with me. In some, those wolf-like creatures attack us.

Even so, the bad ones always freak me out. No matter how many times I've dreamed them.

**Wednesday, August 24**

**11:04 AM-Cactus High Cafeteria**

Sam and Brigid haven't been at school all week. No one knows why and, honestly, I wasn't all that concerned. They're the only two that had a problem with Fang and Iggy sitting with us.

"It's only been a week and a half and I'm already completely buried in homework," Lissa said as she dropped into the seat beside Fang. He'd finally decided to start packing his lunch like the rest of us and had claimed a seat next to me.

J.J. nodded. "I know what you mean. I already have an essay and a short story to write, both for Mrs. Salazar.

I think Iggy might have added something, but I didn't hear it. There was a rushing in my ears, like driving down the highway with all the windows down. My back itched and my palms were sweaty. The entire cafeteria seemed to be red...

"Max?"

"Maddie?"

"MADISON?!"

I shook my head. "Huh?" My hearing had returned and everything seemed pretty normal again.

"I think we lost you for a minute there. I don't think you were even breathing," J.J. said, looking concerned. "Are you okay?" In fact, the whole table looked worried.

"Actually my stomach kind of hurts," I answered. It was true.

J.J. crumpled up what was left of her lunch and stood. "You look kind of clammy. "I'll walk you to the nurse."

**Thursday, August 25**

**1:30 PM-Mr. Belles' Classroom**

Less than an hour until school lets out. Since lunch yesterday I've felt much better. None of those weird spells. The nurse hadn't found anything wrong with me.

Our class was discussing the Bill of Rights this week. Today Mr. Belles was running through what they meant one more time before giving us our assignment.

Which turned out to be pretty lame. We had to choose a partner and then make a little book explaining the Amendments. The pictures could be of anything as long as they made sense. My partner was J.J. Fang's was Lissa. J.J. and I were both terrible artists so our first drawing consisted of stick figures. We were doubled over in laughter because our people looked so ridiculous when I head Lissa say, "Nick, are you okay?"

I glanced around. Fang was pale and he was staring without blinking at the chalkboard. "Hey, F-Nick, are you alive in there?" I waved my hand in front of his face. A minute later he was blinking rapidly at me. "You feeling okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't know what that was."

Lissa and J.J. were both frowning. "He looked like you did at lunch yesterday, Maddie," J.J. said.

"Yeah. It's really weird," Lissa added. Her eyebrows were pushed together in thought.

I bit my lip. I _was_ weird.

**What is today?**

**What time is it?-Where am I?**

* * *

><p><strong>What's this? A new chapter? After over a year, yeah. It might just be a miracle. I mean, okay, it isn't brilliant, but at least the story is finally moving along. Hip hip... hooray?<strong>


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